International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development vol:6 issue:1 pages:31-42

Abstract:

Future climate change may critically affect natural resources that are essential for basic human needs. Water resources are undoubtedly among the most important resources in this respect. Moreover, water plays an important role in the climate system. These examples illustrate why it is important to pay considerable attention to natural resources in climate change education. The expertise associated with natural resource sectors is inherently multidisciplinary, focusing on real-world problems. Water expertise for example incorporates social, economic, environmental, health, political, institutional, technological, and other aspects. In relation to climate change it combines:
• Earth system sciences, especially meteorology, and climate science, hydrology, geography, ecology, etc;
• Technology and the key role of engineering solutions for efficient use and regulation of water;
• Management, in particular decentralized water management based on multiple-stakeholder cooperation which is able to adapt flexibly to local impacts of future climate change.
In this article, the authors explore the potential contribution of expertise on water issues to climate change education at the Masters level, and the competences with which it is associated. This exploration is framed within a larger European Union Erasmus project ‘The Lived experience of climate change: interdisciplinary e-module development and virtual mobility’. The project brings together five distance teaching and three conventional universities across six EU countries, plus the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), to create Masters curriculum in the area.